Ive spent more money replacing broken breaker bars from trying to take off the flywheel nut than it costs to get a decent impact gun...

 

Mazdaspeed, what type of gun did you go with and how big an air tank?

 

Its a big compressor, 60 gal tank. I dont remember the details though, its just kinda there...



As for the gun, I use this one.

 

I used a Mac tools impact with a 26 gal tank. My dad and I had to boost up the pressure though for the gun to do any work on that thing seeing as it needed full air pressure to do anything. I forgot the rating, but I think its like 425lbs.

 

I have no compressor anymore. I had the cats *** when I sandblasted my engine bay, the painter brought his compressor down for me to use with sandblasting. You could open the air tank with a small valve to atmosphere and the compressor would pump out consistant 120lbs nonstop. Perfect for big sandblast jobs and painting.



I already had my own flywheel nut off before the compressor came down, I ended up using an oxy-acetalyne torch to heat up a few shanks on the bolt and got it off with handtools and a hand-flywheel locker (just angle iron with two holes you bolt to the PP tapped holes).



I haven't tried the chizel method yet but I will since I don't have a decent compressor at my garage. I can't even see what you are really doing in the first few pics.. LOL.

 

it takes about i minute of pounding, the fly wheel has never moved on us yet.

 

i have a 120lb compressor, my gun is craftsman. Its picky, its taken off flywheels no prob and stuttered on 4wheeler lugs lol.

 

i did mine w/a 1.5 ft breaker bar no problem, it came off with just using my pinky finger.





(i had a 12ft pipe over the bar=massive leverage)

 

I got a couple impact guns:

(ratings at 90 psi)

230 ft lbs 1/2 inch drive. Useless on flywheel nuts.

450 ft lbs 3/4 inch drive. Works most of the time with MPS gas to break the loctitie bonds and jacking up the air regulator.



and.... 1100 ft-lbs 1 inch drive



The last one I use for flywheel nuts all the time now; it doesn't even hesitate.

I bought it when it went on sale for $350 cdn (normally $650). The thing is heavy as hell, and not even shaped like a normal gun; it has a handle out the side and a trigger set-up more like an engle grinder. Apparently the thing is intended for Tractor-Semi use, but I have had some fun with it.



I've been looking for a while for the electric digital impact guns that will torque to a specific setting; they'd be super handy. I've seen one in person, but never to buy.



I have a 80 gallon standing compressor, 100% duty cycle, 63.5 CFM @ 90 psi.

 

Milwaukee has a 300 ft-lb electric impact. Model 9072. I'm thinking about picking one of these up for $200. Makita has a 433 ft-lb (model 6906) and a 722 ft-lb (model 6910) electric impact, but the Makita units are a lot more expen$ive.